Johnnie is an affectionate form of John, which comes from the Hebrew Yochanan and means "God is gracious". The -ie spelling was common for boys in the American South in the early 20th century and was carried by attorney Johnnie Cochran and bluesman Johnnie Taylor. Johnnie ranked number 941 in 2000, the last year it appeared in the US top 1000 for boys, and stands at number 2295 in 2025.